How to Pronounce German Camera and Lens Brands? Here’s How!

How To

by Olaf von VossMarch 16^th, 2021

There are quite a few classic German camera (and lens) manufacturers, and even if you don’t recognize every single one, you’ve probably heard of some of them: Leica, Carl Zeiss, Voigtländer, to name just a few. But how do you pronounce these brands correctly when you’re showing off your shiny new Voigtländer lens? Well, listen and repeat!

Learning German is hard, end of story. Fortunately, it is my mother tongue, so although I fluently speak German, I could never explain all the rules – and rules there are, oh boy.. Pronunciation is another steep hill to climb for English speakers, especially if the German word contains a dreaded Umlaut (ä, ö, ü).

How to pronounce German camera and lens brands?

The Analog Insights YouTube channel is all about shooting with analog photographic gear in the digital age, and has put together the perfect resource to brush up on your German language skills when it comes to (classic) German camera and lens brands.

The video’s host Maximilian Heinrich will take you through an extensive list of German brands and show you how to pronounce them correctly. Here is the complete listing of what you will learn:

• Carl Zeiss
• Schneider Kreuznach
• Voigtländer
• Rollei / Rollei-Werke Franke & Heidecke
• Rodenstock
• Adox
• Agfa
• Plaubel
• Leica / Leitz Camera Wetzlar
• Leica lenses: Noctilux, Summilux, Summicron, Summaron, Elmar, Elmarit, Thambar, Telyt
• Minox
• Carl Zeiss lenses: Planar, Tessar, Sonnar, Distagon, Biogon
• Praktica
• Exakta
• Meyer Optik Görlitz

So, as you can see, Voigtländer is NOT pronounced like Void-Land-er and Carl Zeiss is NOT pronounced like Sa-is. Maximilian does a very thorough job of explaining the ins and outs of each brand name and why it might be difficult for non-Germans to pronounce. Happy learning!

Links: Analog Insights YoutTube channel | first seen on PetaPixel
featured image credit: Analog Insights (still from the video)

What do you think? Did you know how to pronounce these camera and lens brands correctly? Share your experiences in the comments below!